Reporting from Osceola County
LAT 28.2, LON 81.3 degrees
Last day at the parks. We picked up Janet and Bill--the best thing about knowing a Disney employee and getting in free is the fact that you don't have to “rope drop”. Just get there whenever. Off to Hollywood Studios, all decked out for the holidays.
The DIsney Multiverse.
There were three rides I was interested in, so we knocked them out first. Mickey's Runaway Railway is fun--you ride in an open car through cartoon vistas, with Goofy trying to get you back on track (and failing). There's a tornado effect at one point--Bill says lost hats are the main reason the ride has to stop. (Second best thing about knowing a Disney employee—the inside dope).
Then it’s Rise of the Resistance. We rode this five years ago in CA, and it's just as good here. The ride is “trackless” (it follows magnetic lines), so you swoosh around a lot. It was Kathy's first time on the ride, and she enjoyed it.
This is the way.
A new ride--Toy Story Mania. You and a partner (I was with Bill) ride in a car and use a shooter to hit targets on a video wall--it’s a workout. Bill’s a pro, of course. Janet rode alone, and yet her “partner” got some points. Perhaps a ghost from Haunted Mansion?
We got pretzels, checked out a Disney museum, did some shopping, then hopped over to EPCOT.
Early merch
Original Disneyland design
Animatronics 1.0
Muppet Christmas Carol costumes
We rode “Living with the Land”, a slow boat featuring Disney’s experimental greenhouses.
At this point, we started around the World Showcase, snacking as we went. Poutine, bubble tea, pizza, and crepes. There were also holiday cookies scattered throughout the park, but each one involved a 30 minute line. My wife makes the best cookies on the planet, and I wouldn't wait that long for them.
We actually found seats—it’s a DIsney miracle!
By this point, it was getting dark, so I got some nice shots.
We finished things up with Spaceship Earth. Being a “classic”, it broke down a few times, at one point trapping us in the Middle Ages.
We headed out to the tram--and Bill got there before us, forcing him to wait for us in the lot. We said our goodbyes, and headed back to the hotel for our last sleep in FL. Tomorrow, the arduous ride home begins.
#parkhopping